The pier. Smoke came. Griselda threw a small sphere from inside her coat. White smoke spread. Vision blocked. Taiga held ground. Footsteps beyond the smoke. Multiple. Over ten. Barossa Company's remnants closing from both ends of the pier. Before the smoke cleared, a voice came. "[cold]It's not over yet" The pier's end. Griselda stood there. White coat stained with soot. White hair disheveled. Traces of crawling from the basement covered her entire body. Yet her eyes weren't dead. A 58-year-old former pirate's eyes quietly watching Taiga and the three others. Dozens of company members lined up before the pier. Zarl stepped forward. Silent. He glanced at Taiga once, sideways. Then turned toward the company members. "[serious]You take down Griselda. I'll handle these" Taiga stopped for a moment. Zarl had never trusted Taiga. Not about the flame's source. Not about the reversal. Nothing. Yet now he turned his back. "Understood" Milena's feet tapped the pier boards quickly. Checking handrail positions. Checking decay. Documents bundled under her arm. Only her eyes moved. Reina checked wind direction. Compass pendant swayed. Fingertips tapped the railing. Listening to sound bounces. "[serious]Taiga. Wind from the north. Third pillar's rotted——Griselda can only escape left" Words minimal. But everything necessary was there. Zarl moved. Thud. Shoulder hit the lead company member. Down. Two behind collapsed with him. Zarl didn't stop. Scar on right cheek caught moonlight. Fist drove into the next opponent. "[serious]Watch this" —— Taiga ran toward Griselda. Griselda didn't flinch. Hand inside her coat. Smoke screen. Vision gone. Pure white. Taiga didn't stop. Pushed through. Thin sounds from the smoke. Wind cutting. Three at once. Jumped right. Dodged two. One pierced left arm. Poison needle. Small. But numbness started the moment it hit. Kagerou's flame wavered. Control threads tangled. Smoke cleared. Griselda stood at distance. Confident face. "[sarcastic]Even seeing the future, pain in this moment doesn't change" Taiga clenched teeth. Left arm heavy. Trying to use flame. Control wavered. Pushed forward. Tried to wrap flame——that moment, Griselda rolled something at his feet. Explosion. Blast knocked Taiga's balance. Knees hit pier boards. Body tilted. Before recovering, smoke again. Vision gone. Poison spreading. Left arm heavy to shoulder. Flame control failing. Knelt. That moment. "[serious]Wind from north. Third pillar——Griselda's left side is blocked now" Reina's voice flew. Preparing the ship. Watching the entire pier. Head moved. Left blocked. Rotted pillar. Griselda can't escape left. Next move must be right. Coat bulge——one more explosive. Milena's voice continued. "[cold]Right side of coat. Bulge remaining. That's the last explosive. And——Griselda's left arm. Sword scar from fifteen years ago. Can't raise it high" Company internal records. Information Milena had memorized. Taiga stood. Griselda rolled the last explosive. Taiga didn't dodge this time. Blast. Pretended body flew. Collapsed on pier. Hands touched——pushed forward instead. Closed distance instantly. Griselda tried raising left arm——movement stopped. Old wound screaming. Defense form crumbled. One moment. One moment was enough. Kagerou flame wrapped right fist. Broken fingers ached. Still gripped. Swung through. Direct hit on Griselda's torso. Impact. Griselda's body flew. Slid to pier's edge. Knelt. Ragged breathing. White coat spread on boards. Didn't move for a while. Then hoarse voice came. "[cold]……this brat" Released final smoke screen. Bigger this time. Entire pier covered white. When smoke cleared, no figure at pier's edge. Escaped. Not complete victory. Taiga knew. But——documents exist. Bundle of papers Milena held. That was enough. "[serious]Get on the ship!" —— Porto Neila's fog receded. Sails caught wind. Ship moved. Waves struck hull. Sound continued quietly. When they cleared the fog, four sat scattered on deck. Zarl wrapped arm wound with cloth. Marks from scuffling with company members ran down right arm. Rough hands pulled cloth tight. "[serious]Well……wasn't bad" That was all. But Taiga understood the weight of those words. Milena spread documents on deck. Purple two-tone hair swayed in sea breeze. Golden eyes ran across pages. "[cold]Human trafficking records. Navy collusion. Weapon buyers——all here. With this, the company's public operations stop. Obviously" Not satisfaction in her voice. Just stating facts. But Taiga felt all the reasons Milena risked everything escaping the company were packed in this bundle of papers. Reina came beside Taiga. Knelt. Checked where poison needle pierced left arm. Thin fingers carefully pinched needle's base. "[gentle]Don't move" Pulled it out smoothly. Pain smaller than expected. But poison numbness remained. Reina took cloth. Pressed wound. Then pulled out bandage. Began wrapping carefully. "[serious]Next time, plan something slightly better" Complaint. But voice wasn't angry. Taiga searched for words. Found none. Bandage fixed at wrist. Reina's fingers pressed once on top. Confirming. Then slowly released——taking just a little extra time. Taiga noticed that touch. Noticed but said nothing. Night sea was quiet. There was a night. Ace, Luffy, and three of them drinking. Small beach. Bonfire. Stupid stories. Laughter. That warmth. Carried it alone all this time. That was enough. Now Reina beside him. Zarl ahead. Milena on deck turning pages. Not alone. That feeling finally settling into his body. —— Quiet time continued. Wave sounds. Sails creaking. Someone coughing sometimes. Milena's hands stopped. Page-turning sounds ceased. Silence fell on deck. "[serious]Taiga, look at this" Tone changed. Extended documents. Taiga took them. Letters lined up. Dates. Names. Records. "Portgas D Ace——Blackbeard Marshall D Teach pursuit status. Predicted route……" Reading hands stopped. Detailed. Ace's movements. Whitebeard Pirates internal information. Teach's predicted position. Multiple pages. Checked dates. Before Taiga came to Porto Neila. This information was sold before Taiga moved. "[cold]Diall sold it. Information didn't leak because Taiga moved. From the start——Ace was targeted" Flat voice. But meaning was heavy. Taiga couldn't look away from documents. Taiga didn't come here and cause Ace's information to spread. Diall sold Ace's movements before Taiga reversed time. Banarou Island. Two and a half years remaining. All that time, Ace was information being bought and sold. Unknown to him. Fist clenched. Three broken fingers on right hand ached. Still gripped. Holding documents, Taiga looked at horizon. Night sea was dark. Stretched endlessly. Gained comrades. Gained documents as weapons. Drove away Griselda. Yet Diall still moves somewhere. Still selling Ace. Identity unknown. Purpose unknown. Location unknown. Taiga quietly closed documents on his lap. Beyond the horizon, Banarou Island exists. Ace is there. Blackbeard is there. Clock ticks. Find Diall's identity. Stop information leaks about Ace. That was next. Reina quietly watched sea beside him. Zarl rewrapped arm wound. Milena's eyes fell back to documents. Three were there. Taiga exhaled softly. Without leaving horizon, he pictured Ace's face once more in his mind.